Side-stepping Fate
by Giacinta
Summary: What if the night of the second of November 1983 things didn't go quite like planned. The brothers would have a whole different story to tell, or would they? AU. Chapter Ten.
1. Chapter 1

Side-stepping Fate.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

She pulled herself up from the warm enveloping embrace of the bed covers.

Sammy was crying; the baby monitor was doing its job scrupulously in letting her know.

She loved her little son with every fiber of her being, but how she wished babies were hot- wired to sleep for eight hours solid every night!

She slipped out of bed and made her way in a drowsy haze to the baby's nursery, only to find that John was already there bending over him.

x

"Uhhh mmm," she murmured as she turned to go back to her room; John was on it, he could deal with Sammy this time; she'd go back to her warm nest.

She hoped Dean wouldn't wake up, for where Sammy was concerned, he seemed to think he was the baby's mother the way he fussed possessively over him. She smiled as she remembered her elder child's expression when he first saw the new-born. He had been so awed by his baby brother and he loved nothing better than chattering away to the infant with Sam looking up at him as seriously as if he was taking in every word. Kids, she mused affectionately!

x

Passing by the stair-head, she paused as she noticed the flickering light and subdued sounds of battle coming from the downstairs TV. John must have been watching some old war film.

She shrugged and was about to enter her bed-room when some indefinable instinct made her turn back and take a few steps down towards the living room, and it was with cold horror that she saw her husband sprawled fast asleep in his favorite armchair.

Instantly Mary's cloak of sleepiness dissolved and her hunting senses rose to red alert as she rushed back to Sam.

Someone; some stranger was in the nursery with her baby!

x

She was about to burst into the room when suddenly time seemed to slow to a stop, and a flash of memory zapped through her of a strange conversation she had sustained years before. She recalled the face of a young man, a man who had spoken words to her which back then had made utterly no sense and which she had all but forgotten; but in that split-second of awareness, all the pieces fell into place like a virtual jig-saw puzzle, and fear spiked through her for the well-being of her defenseless child.

She understood now who was standing over Sam, and though every cell in her body, every maternal instinct she possessed, made her want to burst into the room and snatch her baby away from the being who was hovering over him, she forced herself to halt and stay hidden in the shadows.

The young man's words came back to her as clearly as if he was standing right before her, so sincere; so tall and handsome in his worn leather jacket.

x

["Hey, uh, Mary, can I tell you something?  
Even if this sounds really weird. Will you promise me that you will remember?  
On November 2nd, 1983, don't get out of bed. No matter what you hear, or what you see. Promise me you won't get out of bed."]

She had answered 'okay' then, not understanding what he was saying; but just to placate him for he had seemed so upset, as if it was really important, but now it was all so terribly real. Today was the 2nd of November 1983.

x

In that precise moment Mary Campbell Winchester held back and didn't enter Sammy's nursery, and in so doing she changed the destiny that had been mapped out for her, her husband and most importantly of all her two sons.

X

X

Fourteen Years Later.

x

I'm off, dad," Dean called, charging through he door towards the Impala.

John had been witness to his son's near obsessive love for the black beauty since he was a small child and he knew that he couldn't have given his boy a more appreciated gift than the old car for his graduation from high school.

"I'll see you back at the shop this afternoon. I gotta finish working on Mr Jones' old banger."

x

John didn't bother answering. Dean was already out of earshot.

His son had the unquenchable energy of youth. The boy could never be still for more than five minutes. It was a wonder to him that Dean had managed to sit through school, yet his boy had surprised him even there. He had finished with maximum grades and had earned himself a free pass to college.

Dean had always helped out in John's garage too; he had a real talent for fixing cars and was already an expert mechanic.

John knew he'd been very lucky, so many of his clients' kids had fallen prey to drugs and bad company but Dean had never given him any serious trouble, even though the boy had grown up without the gentle hand of a mother.

His boy's only 'bad habit' was his collection of doting girlfriends who often turned up at the shop or the house looking for him!

x

He turned his gaze to the old photograph on the side board.

Mary would have been so proud of Dean. He felt the tears welling up in his eyes even after all this time as he studied the bright smiles on the faces of the four people in the frame. His beautiful wife Mary, himself, little Dean and baby Sammy. A small reminder of better days when there had been four Winchesters instead of two.

He sent up a silent prayer. 'Wherever you and Sammy are now. I hope you're both together and in peace.' John looked forward to the day they'd both be waiting to welcome him into the after-life when he too left his mortal body behind.

He drew his eyes away, picked up his car keys and then set them down again. No, this morning he'd walk. He wanted to dwell on the memory of his loved ones a bit longer before dedicating his day to fixing cars.

He closed the door behind him and made his way through the streets of Lawrence to his place of work.

X

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

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"Hey, you the owner?" an impatient voice greeted John as he approached his work-place.

"Yeah, what can I do for you?"

"You're late! It says eight o'clock," the man declared loudly pointing at the plaque showing the opening hours."I've been waiting here over an hour for someone to turn up."

x

"Sorry 'bout that," John answered evenly, though the man's attitude was rubbing him up the wrong way. "Most of my clients are local and I wasn't expecting anyone to show up before half-eight, but I'm here now so what's the problem?"

"My damn car stopped dead just down the road and a guy pointed you out as the nearest repair shop. I'm in a hurry. Got an appointment I can't miss."

"Well then, let's go take a look," John suggested, opening up shop and grabbing his tool bag.

x

The guy was unpleasant he decided, but a client was a client; if he paid good money, John couldn't care less if he had two horns growing out of his head!

x

"Well," John declared as he lifted his head from under the hood. "I'm afraid this girl's not gonna move from here anytime soon."

He held up a cracked and worn part he had pulled from the engine. "And I don't have a spare. It's impossible to keep all the parts on hand for these foreign cars," he said nodding at the big Honda. "It'll take at least three or four days to get a replacement."

The man's face went from ruddy to bright red.

x

"Oh, Hell! I just have to get there in time. I've got a huge deal going down," the man lamented as he started to pace up and down. "Listen, maybe you've got a car you can spare back at the shop? I'll make it worth your while. I'll pay everything upfront and when I come back for the Honda, I 'll throw in a coupla hundred more."

"I'm not exactly a trusting kinda guy," John answered doubtfully."But if you leave me a hefty deposit I might consider it."

x

John watched more than satisfied, as the man drove off in one of his old cars. He had just earned a neat little sum of money, whether the client came back for his Honda or not! He really had been desperate to keep his appointment!

X

Four days later the Honda was up and running and John called the number its owner had left him.

"Hi there, this is Winchester, from the garage. Your car's ready to be picked up whenever it's convenient," he said.

" Listen Winchester," the man answered tiredly. "Sorry, but I've had a bit of an accident. Broke my damn leg. If you drive it back to my place, I'll make it worth your while. You can collect your own at the same time."

John huffed before answering. What the guy was asking was grossly inconvenient.

"Well I' don't know if I can manage. I'm pretty busy right now. "I'll get back to you on that," John said brusquely cutting the call.

x

"What is it, dad? " Dean asked hearing his father's grunt of annoyance.

"Nothing, just some guy who was supposed to pick up his car but can't. He wants me to run it back to him up to Sioux Falls, but I've got this big repair for Jim Brogan and .."

"I'll take it, dad," Dean said eagerly. "I've finished the car I was working on and a little trip out of town sounds good. I can make it ithere and back n a day if I start off early. Sioux Falls is only about six hours from here."

"Well, if you're sure?" John said hesitantly.

Dean was eighteen, he could look after himself but John still saw him as a kid. Maybe he was a bit over-protective but he had already lost one son, he never wanted to go through that again.

x

Dean read the worry in his father's eyes. "Dad," he said gently. "After summer break I'll be off to College. You gonna come and put up a tent on the Campus to keep an eye on me?"

John sighed. Dean was right. He had to learn to let go of his son. He knew Dean could look after himself, but... God, being a father was damn difficult!

"Okay son. I'll call the client and let him know someone will be bringing it out, but he better hand you some compensation for all the bother!"

X

X

Two days later Dean rolled into Sioux Falls and consigned the car; his pocket felt a bit heavier with the two hundred dollars the guy had given him for his trouble, but he had driven non-stop for six hours and now his stomach was clamoring for food.

It was only three o'clock ; plenty of time eat before heading home. He called his dad as he walked into the nearest diner; he knew John would be worrying.

"It went like clock-work, Dad and I got a nice tip into the bargain, so win-win! I'm gonna eat and then I'll head back."

x

He slipped into the seat and waited for the pretty waitress to arrive.

Time to try out his charm on the big world of girls outside Lawrence. He smirked appealingly as she came towards him, but his ego took a hit as she didn't seem the least impressed by his toothy smile.

He shrugged; back home the girls were more appreciative of his awesome qualities.

He had better get going though, he thought as he gulped down the last of his coffee. He still had a long drive ahead of him.

X

"Hi there, Sam" he heard the waitress say as a skinny mop-haired kid walked into the diner. "The usual?"

"Yeah, mom's working double shifts and I got a stack of chores to finish so..."

"Sucks to have to cook your own dinner. Bobby away too?"

"Uh huh, he had to bring some parts out to buyers, won't be back until tomorrow."

x

Dean slipped out of the seat, left a tip and went towards the door.

The place was practically empty and the kid turned to glance curiously at him but quickly turned away when Dean met his gaze for a second before exiting the diner.

x

"There you go Sam," the waitress said handing him the bag of food. "Be careful now, when you're walking home."

"I always am, " he replied as he turned to go.

X

Dean walked towards the car. He had left it parked outside the client's house when he had seen that the diner was close by.

He went to put the key in the lock when he heard a rustling behind him and as he instinctively turned, a blow to the head sent him into a painful near-oblivion.

x

"Mister, are you okay," a voice murmured hazily from far off, or at least so it seemed to him.

"M'head, What happened?" he slurred struggling to form the words properly.

"Two guys tried to mug you," the disembodied voice replied. "Can you open your eyes; I want to take a look at your pupils."

Dean forced himself to comply and finally managed to open his heavy eyelids only to find himself looking up at the hovering face of the kid from the diner.

"They seem to be normal. If you want we can go to the hospital to get you checked out but I think you're just going to have a whopper of a headache," the kid declared, finishing his diagnosis!

"You think you can pull yourself up? "the boy continued. "You'll feel better sitting down. I'll open the door," he said picking up the fallen keys.

Dean lifted a shaky hand to balance himself against the side of the car while the kid helped him to his feet and settled him sideways on the seat.

The buzzing calmed down a bit though his head still pulsed like hell.

x

"Thanks Sam; that's your name , isn't it? I couldn't help overhearing the waitress in the diner call you that."

"Yeah. No need to thank me though," the boy said. "Your attackers must have been a couple of druggies; as soon as I shouted at them they ran off."

"You're kidding! It took courage to what you did, they could have jumped you as well."

"Nah, I can defend myself. Nobody around here gives me any trouble." the boy said simply without explaining further.

x

"You staying over in town? I don't think you should drive until your head feels a lot less fuzzy," he advised.

"No, I'm supposed to drive home today. "

"That's not a good idea. There's a decent motel not far from here. Might be safer to stop over. That way if there are any consequences, the hospital's nearby."

" My dad'll be worried if he doesn't see me arriving."

"Better that you get back a day late all in one piece, than finish up against a tree!" Sam warned.

"Yeah, I suppose."

x

"Hey listen, I'm on my own at home for now. You could come backwith me, and when you're feeling steadier check in at the motel; that way I can have a better look at your head and pass you a couple of pain-killers."

The words came spontaneously to Sam's lips and no-one was more surprised than himself as he realized what he had just said.

He _**never **_asked anyone back to the house but now he had just invited a perfect stranger that he knew zilch about.

x

Dean looked up at the kid. The boy had just came to his rescue, he supposed he could trust him; no, he was sure he could trust him! There was something in the earnest hazel eyes that reached out to him.

He berated himself. He wasn't given to flights of fantasy, but there was just something about this teen.

x

"Why not?" he heard himself answer. "I'll phone Dad and tell him I'm gonna stay over."

"OK then," Sam smiled engagingly. "Move over, I'll drive," he said.

" What age are you, squirt?" Dean asked. "You're not old enough to have a license."

" Doesn't mean I can't drive," Sam answered. "The important thing is not to get caught by the police!"

Dean stared at him but shifted along the seat. He didn't trust himself to keep the car in a straight line just yet, so he gave in gracefully. This kid was full of surprises!

X

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three.

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The boy made quick work of driving the old car the short distance to his home, while now and then glancing over at the older teen in the passenger seat, relieved to see that a touch of color was coming back into the guy's face.

Sam hated hospitals, so he wouldn't wish a visit there even to this stranger that he had picked up rather.. .incautiously...by the wayside!

His mom would _**kill **_him if she found out; she was forever warning him against having any truck with strangers, but some instinct had made him throw caution to the four winds and bring succor to this unknown person.

Well, she would never find out, he'd take a better look at the older teen's wounds then send him on his way before she came home.

X

"By the way, I never got your name," Sam said as he turned off the road into a driveway.

"Uh, it's Dean," his passenger answered distractedly.

"Dean," Sam repeated, the name rolling easily off his tongue. "Short and sweet, huh!"

"Hey," Dean shot back, his dizziness almost gone, "You're one to talk! Sam has three letters; one less, dude!"

"Actually it's Samuel, so ..." but Dean had already turned away to stare curiously at the high stacks of old rusting cars balanced precariously one on top of the other like some post- apocalyptic Towers of Babel.

X

"You live here; in this junk yard?" Dean asked taking in the run down look of the place. His dad was a stickler for order, he would have been appalled by the unorganized chaos that lay before Dean's eyes.

"Yeah, you never been in one before?" Sam asked, parking the car in front of a green door that needed an urgent coat of paint.

"To be honest, no. Dad usually just phones and gets stuff delivered, but I would never have thought they were as messy as this!"

"Well then, how would you know? Junk yards are probably all like Uncle Bobby's," Sam said shrugging.

X

He exited the car and came round to the passenger door, opening it and holding out his hand to help Dean out, but Dean swatted it away.

" I'm feeling better, dude; I already lost some of my awesomeness by letting a little kid like you drive my Baby, but I'm not gonna lose more points by letting you haul me around as if I was an old lady."

"Suit yourself," Sam replied, twisting his features into a scowl which Dean could only classify as a bitch-face.

He had to re-think his refusal though, 'cos when he tried to get out, his legs wobbled all over the place and he almost went down; almost, because the annoying little shit threw an arm round his waist and held on.

"So little old lady it is!" the smart- mouthed kid smirked as he helped Dean to the door. "Think you can hang on till I open up, ma'am?"

Dean just nodded as a feeling of nausea came over him.

X

Sam pushed open the door and manhandled Dean through a dark a corridor into an old-fashioned sitting room where he planked him down on a worn couch.

"Just hang in there, Dean. I'll go get my stuff and have a better look at your head."

Dean lay back, pillowed his head on the back-rest and closed his eyes. The nausea seemed to pass as long as he sat still, so that's just what he would do.

X

He heard Sam come back into the room.

"I'm just gonna take a better look," he informed, coming round the back of the couch.

Dean felt the boy's hands gently touching in and around the lump which had sprouted on the back of his head.

"Ow," he yelped as Sam's fingers probed a particularly tender spot.

"Sorry, Dean," Sam apologized "But I have to be sure it 's only a surface wound; which it is."

"How come you know all this stuff anyway? Aren't little kids like you supposed to be off playing soccer or something, not patching up head wounds."

"I'm not a little kid," Sam protested. "I'm fourteen. It's just... my mom thinks I should know basic first aid," then quickly changing the subject, he continued. "I do play soccer, if you must know. I'm pretty good too!"

"No false modesty for you; eh Sammy!" Dean parried .

He was enjoying his conversation with this kid; somehow he felt comfortable, as if he had known him for ever and not just for the past couple of hours.

"It's Sam," was the pissed reply. "Sammy was a chubby twelve-year-old," he precised.

X

"Right," Dean laughed; wishing he hadn't, as his head was in _**no**_ laughing mood and wanted him to keep still.

He tried to conjure up an image of Sam a pudgy child, but couldn't.

The kid wasn't much shorter than himself though he was seriously skinny; any chubbiness must have been sacrificed on the altar of growing bones and sinews!

X

He had been so caught up in his mental meanderings that he hadn't noticed Sam standing in front of him holding out two pills in his hand.

"Here these should help with the pain and dizziness. It's definitely just a superficial blow," he sentenced. "You shouldn't have any consequences but if you really want I can take you to get checked out."

"Na, I'll be fine," Dean said as he took the pills followed by the glass of water to wash them down.

"Listen," Sam said. "Why don't you close your eyes for an hour or two; when you wake up, we'll see how you feel. I'll sit right here at the desk and keep an eye on you. I've got stuff to study anyway."

Dean was fine with that; his eyes were clamoring to be closed, so he pulled his feet up over the end of the couch and slipped down its length.

He went out like a light and didn't even budge at the cover the younger boy threw over him.

X

Sam booted up his computer. He had information to look up for his mom.

Mary had a job to hold down as well as hunting and for the past few years, Sam had been doing most of the research. Mary had left it to him to it when she had seen how quickly her young son had become proficient.

She and Uncle Bobby took care of most of the actual hunting though Sam had been trained since he was a kid to become part of the team.

He remembered how scared he'd been when his Mom had begun to explain to him that alongside humans, monsters of every kind existed too, and how much she was sorry that she had to let Sam in on the secret but it was better that he knew so that he could defend himself if needed.

He looked over at Dean sleeping open-mouthed on the couch and sighed as he thought how lucky the older boy was in his innocence, while he, Sam, bore the burden of knowing what really went on in the world.

X

He delved back into his research until a voice intruded on his thoughts.

"Sammy-boy, any chance of some coffee for a wounded man?"

Sam turned towards it. "It's Sam, " he countered automatically.

If Dean had been a monster, Sam would have been mince-meat by now, but as his eyes met those of the older boy, he somehow knew that Dean would be the last person on Earth to ever hurt him and with light-heartedness, he quickly saved his research and walked over to the couch.

X

"You're feeling better then?" he asked as Dean pulled himself up into a sitting position and passed a wary hand over the back of his head.

"Ouch, it still hurts like a bitch, but, yeah, I'm feeling a lot better, thanks," he said, smiling up at the boy.

"What about that coffee or am I gonna have to brew it myself?" Dean added as he went to get up. "You don't have to hover, Sammy," he said as Sam held out a hand. "I'll be fine now!"

"It's Sam," the kid repeated again, dropping his hand.

"Never saw anyone who looked more like a Sammy, " Dean smirked, amused by the kid's insistence.

The more he spent in the his company, the more he felt at ease.

X

He stood up gingerly, but the nausea and dizziness seemed to have disappeared and he made his way to the kitchen.

"Hey, man, It's fine. I'm make the coffee for you," Sam declared.

"Na, I gotta start getting around. I gotta phone my dad and he's pretty sensitive where I'm concerned. If he thinks there's something going on with me he'll be rolling up to cart me off."

"You've not mentioned your mom," Sam observed hesitantly, not sure if he was treading on permitted ground.

"No, she died when I was four, " Dean supplied leaning on the sink. "I can barely remember her, just that she was beautiful and had long blond hair."

"Um...sorry, I didn't mean to..." Sam said awkwardly.

"It's okay. You couldn't have known. What about you? You got the standard two parents?"

"My dad's dead. I've never known him," Sam answered. "He died in a car crash when I was a baby. I don't remember anything about him."

"Sorry kid," Dean said.

"Don't be you couldn't have known," Sam replied, echoing Dean's same words.

Somehow the mutual loss of a parent had drawn them even closer.

Dean got on with looking for the coffee, with Sam standing next to him watching, as he pottered about the kitchen.

X

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four.

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Mary drew up into the driveway; she had been scheduled to do the next shift at the local hospital but one of her colleagues had phoned in and asked for a favour; if she could swap shifts and take Mary's second shift today instead of coming in tomorrow.

Mary had been more than happy to say yes.

She usually only worked double shifts when Bobby was at home for she didn't care to leave Sam on his own, but the older man had been called suddenly away with an urgent delivery of spare parts for one of his best customers, and she had been fretting about Sam being alone.

He was fourteen now, but she knew that something was waiting in the shadows for her child and was terrified that Sam would find himself on his own if anything happened. Her son was a smart kid and could look out for himself, she mused proudly, but he was no match for the evil that permeated the supernatural world which surrounded the unaware humans.

X

X

Her heart missed a beat when she saw the unknown car parked in front of the main door.

What was going on, she wondered as she pulled her hand-gun from under the passenger seat and got out. She spun on her heels and surveyed the junkyard in a three hundred and sixty degree turn. Everything seemed normal, and neither her hunting instincts nor her maternal ones were giving any indication that something was wrong.

Nevertheless she kept the gun in her hand as she approached the building.

She had warned Sam about bringing people home and he had understood. Bobby's house was stuffed with enough supernatural paraphernalia to make the majority of people run off in fright, but it seemed that's exactly what had happened, Sam had disobeyed the standing order and brought someone to the house.

X

She knew how hard it was for him to keep a low profile at school but until now he had never brought anyone here.

She approached the car and saw that it bore a Kansas licence plate. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight, her emotions reminding her of what she had left back there so long ago.

It was strange that a car from that state should be sitting outside her door.

She knew all of the families who frequented the nearby high school and none of them had a car like this. Maybe her instincts weren't working this time.

Perhaps Sam **_was_** in danger!

She laid a hand on the hood to steady herself, fearing what she might find inside!

X

X

Sam's head came up in apprehension as he heard the screech of tyres in the drive-way, and he raced over to the window only to see his mom exit her car.

"Something wrong kid?" he heard Dean say at his back.

"Uh, Mmm! My mom's just come home," he replied nervously glancing back at the older boy, then back outside.

"Well, I know I'm not Paul Newman," Dean smirked. "But I'm cute, or so all the girls tell me. You worried I'm not gonna make a good impression on her or something?"

X

"No, it's not that," Sam replied. "It's just….., she doesn't like me to bring people home and well, you know," he nodded towards Dean, "You're a stranger to boot."

"Well you can spill her all that 'Good Samaritan' stuff. It's supposed to be positive, right! Helping out a stranger!"

"I don't know if mom'll go for that, but it's too late to bundle you out the back door now," Sam declared nervously as they heard the key turn in the lock.

X

Dean couldn't understand why Sammy was so worried.

Okay, he was a stranger and maybe the kid shouldn't have brought him home; and though he decided that the kid was exaggerating, something prompted him to move up and stand right at the boy's side.

If the mom was gonna touch Sammy, she would have to deal with Dean Winchester first.

X

"Sam," a woman's voice called out. "You okay, honey?"

"Yeah mom, I'm fine. I've got a friend home," he added quickly, tuning his head to find Dean standing right beside him.

"Don't worry, squirt, I've got your back. We'll tell her I'm the brother of one of your friends come to pick up a copy of his homework."

Sam felt a grin coming to his face despite his nervousness. "She'll never believe_** that**_, Doofus; mom knows everybody around here and she sure won't fall for a lame excuse like that!"

"Well forgive me if I was trying to cover that skinny ass of yours," Dean smirked back, and that's how Mary found them as she opened the door to the sitting room; Dean standing protectively at Sam's side and the two of then smiling at each other as if they had never been apart.

She could feel the blood draining from her face and her legs giving way as she took in the sight. All she had done to keep half of her family safe was crumbling to rubble, but maybe she could still salvage something.

X

"Mom, mom! Are you okay? "Sam exclaimed rushing over to put a hand under her arm as she seemed to totter.

"It's okay, Sam," she whispered. "I just need to sit down. I think I'm coming down with influenza or something. It seems to be going around the hospital staff. I'll just sit here minute. I'll be fine. Could you get me a glass of water, please Sam?"

"Sure mom," Sam said as he helped her onto the couch then hurried into the kitchen.

X

Mary tuned her gaze on the tall young man standing only yards away from her and she drank in the sight. She knew what he looked like, of course. She had kept an eye on his progress; she had seen his year-book photos on the 'net.

She was aching to run to him, to pull him into her arms and never let him go, but she didn't have that luxury; she still had a chance to protect her first-born and let him live a normal safe life.

X

She put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from moaning when it dawned on her just who the young man was that had come to her all those years ago; and on whose advice she had put all this into motion.

It had been her own son; it had been Dean who had warned her to stay out of Sam's nursery on the 2nd of November 1983.

Mary was a strong woman; she was a hunter; but at this moment she just wanted to burst into tears like the women she had always laughed at on those weepy soap operas that infested the TV, but she certainly didn't feel like laughing now!

X

Sam came rushing out of the kitchen with the glass of water which she took thankfully, sipping at it to give herself time to get back some self-control.

"Uh," Dean said finally. "I'm real sorry if my being here has caused you or Sammy any trouble. He came to my rescue when somebody mugged me."

Mary's head came up at that. "Are you hurt? " she asked concerned, all her maternal instincts flowing back in stronger than before, for her newly found child.

"Na, Sammy, here did a great job on me. He's a skilful little kid," he said ruffling the boy's hair and receiving a rousing bitch-face, while Mary watched amazed as Sam who allowed no-one to call him 'Sammy' not even her, didn't object in the least but basked in the older boy's praise.

She sighed. What the hell was she going to do now?

X

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five.

XXXXX

Mary came from a long line of fearless hunters; men and women who had known and fought the supernatural for centuries, but above everything she was a mother, and the sight of her two beautiful children together again after fourteen years, made her heart ache with both joy and despair.

X

X

She had made a decision then, soon after that fateful night in November.

Her mind had soon put the pieces together; the yellow eyed demon; John's death; her acceptance of the deal with the hell-spawn to get him back.

She still shivered at the tactile memory of her father's lips pressing down on her own when the demon kissed her to seal the deal; how she had fought to keep down her vomit at the unnatural joining. Her father's soul had been long gone but nevertheless...!

She had been aware that what she was doing would come with a high price, but she had been so desperate to save John, to save her lover! She had naïvely believed the payback would fall on her shoulders when the ten years were up, instead it was her innocent little baby who was to bear the burden of her deal.

x

She had been careless during those wonderful years with John; ecstatic to have him back; setting up home together; the wonder of her pregnancy and the arrival of little Dean, whom she had named lovingly after her poor mother.

He had been such a beautiful little boy, caring, tender and giving. She had been the luckiest woman on Earth, and then when Sammy arrived her cup of joy had run over.

Yeah, she sighed. Wasn't it always like that? Life was a bitch! The bigger the rush, the harder the fall.

And on that cold November night, Mary fell.

x

She had gone into Sam's room immediately after the dark figure had disappeared, feeling like the most depraved of mothers for not having rushed in to defend her baby, but the words of the unknown stranger years before had flashed into her mind, and she had halted outside the door.

Once the being had gone, she had dashed frantically over to the crib, terrified that he had hurt Sammy; seen the two spots of what seemed like blood on the soft pillow around Sam's head. She had lifted the baby and wept quietly into his soft hair, filling her lungs with his scent and nursing him until his eyelids fluttered and sleep claimed him .

She had lain him down gently on the changing table and quickly stripped off the pillowcase. She could see no wound on Sammy, so the red dots must have been left by the demon.

She was almost sure they were blood and she quickly ran for the little bottle of holy water, the only remnant she kept in the house of her past hunting life, and let a few drops fall on the stains. They bubbled up with a hissing noise and a slight smell of sulfur, which left no margin for doubt!

The demon had bled onto Sam, or into him. The yellow-eyed bastard hadn't been coming for her, but for her son.

She had taken Sammy in her arms and gone into Dean's room; thankfully he was sleeping soundly, his golden hair all mussed up on the pillow.

Only Sam had been the target then, she surmised. Dean had been spared the demon's visit.

x

She had crawled into her bed and curled up around the baby. What a fool she had been to think that just because she had pushed away her memories of the past, they weren't going to come back and kick her in the ass.

She, Mary Winchester had made a deal; the most selfish of deals! To have John back alive, she had condemned her son to an unknown destiny and she had put the rest of her loved ones in danger.

She could do nothing to change what had happened to Sam, but that didn't mean she couldn't protect the other two members of her family.

x

When John finally came to bed, he found his wife nursing Sammy. "The little guy been keeping you awake?" he whispered softly as he got into bed, leaning over the child to give her a kiss.

"I must have dozed off in front of the TV, " he added sheepishly. "Didn't hear him crying at all."

""It's okay, " she had answered. "I've got it."

x

A month later, Mary put her plan into operation.

"Honey, I'm taking Sammy with me to get some supplies. We're low on diapers again."

"Yeah, " John said playfully coming over to tickle Sammy under the chin," The kid sure knows how to fill them up! He's like a production line! The quicker we get him potty trained the better. Just think of all the money we'll save!"

She flashed him a watery smile and threw one last glance at Dean. It was all she could manage; the enormity of what she was about to do weighing her down like concrete, but it would protect her husband and elder son.

She walked out of the door and into the her small car; neither John nor Dean would ever see her and Sammy again.

X

X

Bobby's House

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

But fate has a way of stabbing you in the back, she mused as she studied the young man standing beside Sam.

She breathed in heavily; she couldn't allow the sacrifice she had made to keep Dean and John safe to be nullified by a chance encounter between the two brothers. She still hadn't worked out why the Yellow-eyed Demon had infected Sam with his blood. The danger to Dean and John was still there.

x

She saw the boys watching her curiously, wondering why she was so silent.

"Mom?"Sam asked hesitantly. "You sure you're okay?"

"Don't fuss, Sammy, " she smiled at the worried expression on his face. "I'll be fine as soon as the pills take effect."

"So," she said. Turning to Dean. "I'm happy Sam managed to give you a hand. He's a good kid. I thought I knew all the young guys from around here though. You're not local, are you?"

"No, ma'am," Dean replied. "I had to take care of some business in town for my dad, I was just getting into the car to go home when some guy must've thought I was carrying money and decided to go for it. Good job Sammy was passing by and gave me a hand."

Mary wanted nothing more than to hug her son and claim him for her own but she couldn't, so she settled for second best.

x

"Let me see," she said getting up and going over to Dean. "I'm a nurse. I'm sure Sam has done a good job, but I'd better have a look. Wouldn't want to sent you back to your dad anything less than healthy."

She knew that it would be torture to touch him; she hadn't been able to hold him in her arms for so many years, but she was his mother and she couldn't resist now that he was standing right there in front of her.

She gently pushed his hair to the side and studied the lumpy wound, brushing her fingers over it and remembering the four-year old with the golden hair. It was darker now but he was still her baby.

"It must hurt, but I think you'll live," she sentenced, regretfully pulling her hand away; she would treasure this small moment.

x

"Well, I 'd better be on my way then, now that I've been officially checked over by a nurse. I was gonna,stay overnight in a motel but I'm feeling a lot better. The dizziness has disappeared completely. I'll be okay to drive back home," Dean smiled, though somehow he felt reluctant to leave.

"What!" Sam burst out."I thought we might hang out until later, maybe we could eat here together. I'm a good cook. I was gonna make some curry tonight. Uncle Bobby taught me real well."

Dean looked over at the kid, the expression in the boy's eyes making him want to say yes, which he was about to do when Mary broke in.

x

"Sam, " she scolded. " Dean has to get back home. His dad's expecting him."

"He can call him and let him know he'll be back tomorrow," Sam insisted, not understanding exactly why he didn't want Dean to leave.

Dean however began to feel the tension building up in the room. The kid wanted him to stay but his mom didn't.

"You're mom's right Sam, " he agreed eventually. "It's better that I hit the road. My dad's going to be worried and I'd rather let him see I'm okay before telling him I was mugged."

Sam's face fell. "Mom," he whined looking over at his mother.

"It's Dean's decision, honey, but I think he'd be better off getting back home as soon as possible, " Mary responded.

Sam sighed. He knew he was beaten. "I'll walk you to the car," he said bumping Dean's shoulder.

X

Dean pulled the keys from his pocket, fiddling with them

"Thanks Sammy, for what you did for me today."

Sam nodded, but he wasn't willing to let things end here.

"Listen, Dean. When you get home, give me a ring. Just to let me know...um...what your dad says."

x

Sam knew it was a lame excuse but he just didn't want to lose track of Dean. Some instinct told him to keep a link to him open. Sam's instincts had served him well before and he trusted them.

"I will, " Dean answered, relieved that Sam had asked.

It wasn't on him to do so, since Sam's mother hadn't seemed to approve of him, or at least that's the impression he had received, but he had grown to like the kid in the few hours he had known him and he'd be happy to keep in touch.

Sam smiled; a toothy smile that went straight to Dean's heart. What the hell, he wondered, as he scrambled to understand why he should feel any empathy with this unknown kid. He had no logical answer, and as he set off down the drive-way, he began to wonder just who this mother and child were.

Internet was a great way to get details on people. It was a bit stalkerish but Dean knew_** that**_ wasn't going to stop him searching for answers.

X

TBC

Thanks to everyone who review the previous chapters :)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

XXXXXXXX

"Dad? I had a little bit of a set-back... Na, nothing to worry about! I'm on the way home; just gonna get back a few hours later than planned."

Dean closed the call, and before long he was turning onto the Interstate heading towards Kansas, a niggling feeling persisting that his chance meeting with the kid and his mother was something he shouldn't forget.

x

It was well after two a.m. when he finally pulled up outside his home in Lawrence.

There was a light on in the living room; it made Dean smile as he thought of how his dad still regarded him as a kid.

Most of his friends' parents had gotten over the habit of waiting up for their children, yet there was something comforting in the thought that his dad still looked out for him.

Contrary to a lot of them, he and his father had always gotten on extremely well. They had always been open with each other and Dean hadn't gone through the 'rebellion against parental authority' phase that seemed to affect most teens.

Simply put, he loved his dad and his dad loved him.

x

He pulled out his phone and digited a short message to Sam. He'd promised to let him know when he arrived safely home. The kid had asked him to call but he'd be asleep at this hour of the night He'd read the message tomorrow when he woke up.

Dean pressed send, exited the car and made his way up the path, passing a hand over the back of his head. It still pulsed painfully but he'd been lucky, so a headache wasn't such a bad payoff.

He wasn't going to tell dad about _**that**_, though; he'd never hear the end of it!

X

John came out of the living room when Dean pushed open the front door.

"About time!" his father exclaimed. "I was beginning to get worried."

Dean threw him an ironic glance. "Come on dad, I'm fine! I'm a big boy now. I can look after myself. I was only delivering a car, not taking on a horde of terrorists!"

John ran a hand through his hair.

"You're right, son," he sighed, " but you're not a parent. Once you've got a couple of kids, we'll talk again."

"Didn't think you were so anxious to become a granddad, " Dean smirked as he strolled towards the kitchen."Sorry to burst your bubble, but I've got a lot of living to do before I settle down, Dad, if I ever do, " he added, his gaze falling on the photos of Mary, John, himself and little Sammy that were laid out almost reverently on top of the sideboard.

Dean had been four and a half, and he'd only had six months with his brother before he'd lost him, but the love and fascination he'd felt for the baby were still fresh in his mind, probably because he had done his best to keep Sammy's image alive in his memory, never wanting to forget about his little brother and his Mom.

"I'm gonna have a late-night snack, then crash. Now that I'm back safe and sound, you can go off to bed, _**Daddy**_," he teased.

"You laughing at me, boy? You're not too big for me to turn you over my lap and spank you!"

Dean almost spat out the milk he was drinking, at his dad's words.

"Seeing as you've never even done that when I was I kid, I can't really take your threat very seriously," he laughed, wiping away the excess milk from his lips.

John just shook his head and made for the stairs. He hadn't been able to go to bed until his son had arrived home, but he'd the shop to open tomorrow and he needed his rest.

x

Dean finished up in the kitchen and as he passed by the dresser he snagged the photo he'd been looking at earlier. When he was younger, he used to take it to bed and put it under his pillow. Somehow it had made him feel that Mom and Sammy were still there with him.

He flopped down on his bed, his eyes going to the corner where the merry-go-round that used to hang over Sammy's cot, was pinned. He remembered how he had cried bitter tears that terrible day when Dad had told him Mommy and Sammy had gone to heaven; that they would watch over him from above.

The next day he had sobbed and sobbed until Dad had transferred the mobile to Dean's room.

x

He switched on the bedside light and studied the photo.

His mom had been so beautiful; so young and happy and the photographer had caught baby Sammy just as he'd been in the process of giving a cute toothless smile. Dean rubbed a finger over the baby's face. He wondered what Sam would have been like if he hadn't died in the accident with Mom.

He would be fourteen now and as Dean closed his eyes in sleep, he imagined that Sammy might look something like the kid he had met in Sioux Falls today.

X

Sioux Falls

xxxxxxxxxx

Mary spied from behind the curtain as Sam escorted the older boy to the car, and watched agitated as it sped off down the drive-way.

God, she'd had such a shock when she'd walked in and seen Dean.

She didn't know how she'd kept it together, but she had sacrificed so much to try to keep him and John safe, and until she found out exactly why that demon had bled into Sam's mouth, then she couldn't afford to let her emotions control her.

She noted how the boys had been drawn to each other, as if they'd felt a magnetic attraction tugging at them

For Pete's sake, they'd only been in each others' company for a few hours and Dean had already taken up a protective stance at Sam's side when he had seen her enter, not to speak of the fact that Sam had allowed Dean to call him by the hated 'Sammy' moniker!

She would just have to speed up the research on the demon; find out what his end game was. The fact that her sons had met was a dangerous coincidence and she would have to monitor the situation.

Bobby had mentioned that he'd come up with a lead, but until he got back from his delivery, that would have to wait.

x

"Mom," Sam said in an irritated voice, as he entered the room. "Why couldn't Dean have stayed to dinner? Even a blind man could've seen that you wanted rid of him."

Had she been so obvious, Mary wondered.

"That's not true, Sam, " she lied. " He said his dad was waiting for him, and I know what it's like when a parent worries about their child."

"I wouldn't call Dean a child, Mom," Sam argued. "He told me he's eighteen. When I'm that age I'd like to be treated like an adult, not a kid!"

"If you act like an adult, you'll get treated like one, Sam. Whatever age you are."

"Just what's that supposed to mean, Mom? It doesn't even make sense!" he whined.

x

"Come on, Sammy. I'm starving," she cajoled, trying to change the subject. "What do you say we whip up some of that curry, just you and me?"

"It's Sam, Mom. How often do I have to remind you!" the teen bitched back. Sam felt strangely annoyed with his mother for not letting Dean stay.

He knew it was silly, yet the sensation remained.

So; Mary smiled wryly to herself. It seemed Dean was the only one who got to call her boy Sammy!

x

After dinner Sam blurted out an excuse about having stuff to do for his summer research and made his way up to his room.

He booted up the personal desk computer Bobby and his mom had bought him last Christmas and after a quick search he found Dean Winchester's year book from Lawrence High.

He had graduated with high marks.

Sam was impressed. Dean had seemed a groovy kind of guy, the kind that wouldn't be bothered much with studying.

Sam loved school. His grades were good too. That was something they had in common then, he smiled.

x

Dean hadn't mentioned his Dad's first name but he'd said his dad was a mechanic, and soon Sam had brought up a list of all the car repair businesses in Lawrence.

Sure enough there it was. "J. Winchester" and the address. He wondered what the 'J' stood for, probably James or John, he mused.

He searched some more but that was all he seemed to be able to find on the Winchesters for the moment.

Dean had told him his mom had died when he was four but he hadn't mentioned how it had happened. Sam was a curious kid, and now that he'd met Dean, he wanted to find out as much as possible about him.

Maybe something bad had happened to her to have died at such a young age.

It was a long shot, but there could be some more info on the Winchesters in the back issues of the newspapers of that year. He mentally counted down. Dean had been four so that would make his mom's death around 1983, the same year that he himself had been born.

X

He shelved the search for now and concentrated on the project he'd been assigned for the summer break. Tomorrow he'd take a trip to the library.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

XXXXXXXXXXX

It was the middle of the night when Bobby's truck wheeled into the yard; the roar of the engine penetrating Sam's sub-conscious as he tossed and turned restlessly in bed. Sleep had never come easy to him, the darkness had always brought problems of its own.

He never actually dreamed of anything in particular, no nightmares as such, but the sensation of something evil lying in wait for him at the edge of his consciousness, biding its time in the shadows before invading his dreams to drag him away to some terrifying mind-scape, was becoming ever more overwhelming, and many a time he woke up trembling and sweating without understanding why.

It wasn't due to his awareness of monsters, though that would have been enough to scare the pants off anyone; no, it was more than that!

x

On his eleventh birthday, his mom, along with the more conventional gifts of a shirt, jeans and books, had given him a one he would rather have done without.

She had sat him down solemnly at Uncle Bobby's kitchen table and explained to the awed child about the parallel world of monsters that existed alongside human-kind.

Sam remembered staring at her as if she was narrating some Halloween fairy-tale, but he had soon come to understand it was all horribly real.

She had told him about her family, the Campbells, how they had hunted these beings for generations.

x

His life had changed completely in the three years since then, his mom had been training him in everything she knew; how to handle a gun, self-defense, lore, spells and anything else that a hunter might need to have a chance at surviving in the life.

More than once however, he had angrily turned on Mary, asking why they just couldn't ignore the monsters like everyone else did; why did he have to be the freak? His school-mates knew nothing, yet they were perfectly happy. Why couldn't she have kept him in ignorance too?

His mom had pulled him to her and sadly explained that his friends weren't born into a family who had hunted these things, and there was always the danger that some monster might bear a grudge, and end up hurting Sam.

She wanted her boy to be able to defend himself, and knowledge about these monsters was the best way to do that.

Of course Mary hadn't told him everything; he wasn't ready to know about what had happened after the demon's visit in 1983!

x

With time Sam had proved to be a quick learner, and once he had been initiated into the secret, Uncle Bobby had revealed that he too was a hunter.

Until then all the older man's supernatural paraphernalia, books and various objects had been locked away in his private study, but afterward the door was left open and stuff began to gradually invade the rest of the house.

Sam had spent hours reading his way through Uncle Bobby's tomes, alternating between terror and awe, depending on the text. He soon began to pick up Latin thanks to Bobby's lessons and now he was reasonably fluent in it.

Bobby had insisted that he learn the standard exorcisms by heart, something that Sam had done, though he fervently hoped he would never have to meet a demon face on; he had taught Sam to drive and how to unlock and hot wire a car too .

"Never know when you might need a quick get-away," he would say. "But that's stealing," Sam had protested.

"When you've got a monster on your ass, stealing doesn't seem such a crime," Bobby had replied crustily.

"Well, if you put it like that," Sam had replied, though not totally convinced.

X

Sam slept fitfully the rest of the night, and as soon as dawn began to illuminate the sky, he went down to the kitchen and fixed himself some breakfast. He heard his mom moving about upstairs and he brewed coffee for her. She should have been home today but she had traded shifts and so was on duty this morning at the hospital.

"Morning, Sammy." Mary smiled, entering the kitchen. " Mmm, that coffee smells good. Thanks honey."

"It's Sam, mom," he corrected her." When are you gonna realize I'm not a kid any more!"

"Whatever, " Mary replied. " Oh gosh, I'm gonna be late, she said glancing at her watch. "Got anything planned for today, Sam?_**"**_

"Nothing special. I thought I'd go to the library. I've got some research to do for my summer project," he answered smoothly.

"Your Uncle Bobby came back last night. He's still sleeping. Let him know where you'll be, okay?"

"Don't worry, mom. I can look after myself!" Sam assured her.

"Yeah, but moms always worry! Bye sweetie," she said as she gave him a peck on the cheek and ran out the door.

X

Sam slipped out before Bobby awoke.

His mind was still mulling over his chance meeting with Dean yesterday. How he had felt an indefinable connection to the older boy. He recalled that Dean had used the name Sammy too, but somehow it had seemed more natural coming from him than from his mom.

x

"Hi, Sam," the librarian greeted him as he entered the building.

"Hi, Elsie, " Sam replied. "I wonder if you have any back issues of Kansas newspapers on tape," he asked.

"Not too sure. We usually just keep the local papers and the bigger national ones, but there might be something. I'll take a look. Anything particular you're looking for?"

"Yeah, papers from 1983. I need some info for my project."

"Well, we can always request tapes from a Kansas library if it's really urgent. Have a seat, I'll bring them over to you."

x

Elsie arrived with a boxful of tapes and planked them down beside Sam.

"There's a good selection of newspapers from that year. You might just be lucky, Sam. Going through that lot should keep you occupied for the entire day."

"Thanks Elsie, " Sam smiled.

Elsie grinned back. She had a soft spot for the kid. He was always polite and educated with a pair of soulful hazel eyes the touched her heart.

Too bad they're not all like that, she thought.

X

Sam worked his way methodically through the tapes but he didn't find much that made reference to Kansas; he was just beginning to think that he was on a wild goose chase and all he was going to get here were blood-shot eyes from focusing too long on the grainy screen, when the name Winchester jumped out at him.

He quickly rewound to the beginning of the article.

[ "In a terrible accident early yesterday morning, a young mother and her seven month old baby lost their lives when their car ended up in the river. No bodies have been found so far. Due to the snow and bad weather, the river is swollen and fast flowing, and could have swept the bodies miles away. The police are still searching but they don't hold out much hope of finding the mother or her child.

We tried to talk to the widower, Mr. John Winchester but as you can imagine, he was wracked by the grief of losing his young wife Mary and baby Samuel..."]

x

The article continued but Sam leaned back stunned.

He was a smart kid and it didn't take long for everything to fall into place. John Winchester had a wife called Mary and Dean had once had a younger brother called Sam. It could be a coincidence, but if you added in the fact that mom had told him his own dad had died when he was a baby, it became more than a simple coincidence.

Mom had always told him that when his dad Jeffrey Singer had passed away in a crash, she had come to stay with Bobby his older brother. It was only supposed to be for a short time, she had said, but Bobby had insisted they stay on, and so Mary had.

If things were as he suspected, that meant that what his mom had always told him was a lie, and Uncle Bobby was privy to all of this too. He felt a rush of emotions building up inside him, but he quashed them down. First of all he had to find certain proof!

x

He looked at his watch. It was nearly one o'clock.

Sam called home.

"Uncle Bobby. I'm finished here. You rustling up lunch by any chance? Yeah!... Okay... Keep some warm for me. I'll be right there."

Sam cut the call. He wasn't one hundred percent sure that his theory was correct, but if he played his cards right, Bobby might let something slip. The older man had arrived in the middle of the night and mom had gone to work before he had gotten up, so he might not know anything about Dean having been there yesterday.

He quickly gathered up his stuff and ran all the way home.

X

"Uncle Bobby," he gasped panting, as he jogged into the kitchen. "I gotta talk to you."

"You run the whole way back, son? I know my stew's the best around but you could have taken your time, " Bobby said amused. The kid must really have an appetite today.

Sam took a deep breath and burst out.

"I know the truth, Bobby. I know who I really am, and it's not Sam Singer."

x

Sam had gone for the shock effect; maybe he was wrong, but the twitch of surprise he saw in the older man's eyes before he managed to hide it, told him he had hit home!

"What are you talking about, kid, " Bobby blustered. "You're Sam Singer, why would you think otherwise?"

"No, I think my name is Sam Winchester."

X

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed. Hope you enjoy. :)

x

Chapter Eight.

X

Dean opened his eyes wearily, closing them again quickly to protect his retinas from the yellow glare of the morning sun as it targeted him through the chink in the curtains.

He pulled himself up, passed both hands over his face and on into his pillow-tousled hair; he had slept badly, tossing and turning without knowing why; his fragmented dreams inter-spaced with continuous flashes of his few childhood memories of his mom.

He usually had no trouble sleeping, passing out like a light as soon as his head hit the pillow, unconscious until the alarm rang annoyingly in the morning; so this disturbed night was a-typical for him.

He shrugged it off as he pushed back the covers; last night he had been studying the photo of his mom before falling asleep; it must have affected him more than he had expected. She was so young and beautiful in that old photo, her curly blond hair tumbling around her shoulders like a halo.

A slight frown appeared on his young face.

x

Now that he came to think on it, Sam Singer's mother had shown a certain resemblance to his own mom. Sure, her hair had been shorter and straighter, styled into a shoulder length bob, but her features had been similar too.

Of course she was older and there had been a few lines on her face yet...? He wondered why he hadn't noticed yesterday; perhaps his dreams last night had made him pick up on the likeness more, or maybe he had just been woozy from the blow on the head and his meeting with young Sam, to pay her much attention.

The back of his head still felt a little tender to his touch but nothing compared to before, he mused relieved, as he padded bare-footed out of his room and down the corridor to the bathroom, his mind still dwelling on his dreams.

x

As the hot water poured over his body, waking and relaxing him at the same time, he found himself unable to rid his mind of the resemblance between his own mom and Sam's, now that the idea had wormed itself into his head.

He couldn't stop the smile that came to him, imagining how great it would have been if Mary Singer **_had_** been his mom and Sammy his little brother.

"God, just how dumb am I? " Dean almost yelled at the water raining down around him. "One coincidence is just that; a coincidence, but a series of them make a fact," he whispered excitedly to himself.

"MARY Singer MARY Winchester; SAM Singer- SAM Winchester; my Sammy would have been fourteen and Sam Singer is fourteen; Sam never knew his dad who died in an accident. I lost mom and my Sammy in an accident and their bodies were never found. It could all be a coincidence, I know," he continued feverishly, still talking to himself as the water flowed over him like some liquid Baptism that had given him Revelation.

x

"Dean! How long are you gonna be in there, son? I gotta get to work," his father's powerful voice called out, piercing through the hissing of the shower and interrupting Dean's reasoning. He turned off the water and rushed the door, contemplating the tall figure of his dad who stood impatiently waiting.

if his theory was true, then the lives of both would change forever.

"Took you long enough," John grumbled as he made to pass Dean and access the bathroom. "And since when do you run around naked; though it's nothing I haven't seen before!" he joked taking in his son's lack of a bath-robe.

"Uh, sorry, dad " Dean replied flustered, grabbing his towel. "I was just thinking of stuff and I forgot."

"Some girl I imagine," John smiled back, knowing his son's propensity for surrounding himself with cute teens. "There sure ain't no lack of them around you!"

"No dad, it's not..."

Dean held back, letting the door close behind his father. He couldn't be certain of any of the conclusions he'd been coming to. He needed to be sure before even mentioning such things to his dad who would be more than shattered if he was wrong.

No, he would keep his suspicions to himself for now; he'd go to the shop with dad and clear his mind; concentrate on his work, then come back and look at things with a fresh approach. However he couldn't stop himself from booting up his computer and entering Singer Spare Parts.

All he got for his trouble was the business' standard address and phone number, and on Mary and Samuel Singer, there was nothing at all, which just helped to fuel Dean's theory that something strange was going on.

x

The smell of freshly brewed coffee titillated John's nostrils when he entered the kitchen to find a stack of pancakes waiting for him, courtesy of Dean.

"Doing your old man proud this morning, huh? Usually I gotta drag you outta bed with threats of dire punishment," John quipped. "I can't remember the last time I got this kind of treatment."

Dean grinned back at his father's words. "You always gotta be ready to face the unexpected, Dad! I just thought I'd treat you this morning seeing you stayed up late to wait for me!"

John grimaced. "You're not going to ruin everything by lecturing me on how you're old enough to look after yourself and it's stupid for me to do stuff like that? Well, don't! Just... bear with me. I'll get the message sooner or later that you're all grown up!"

Dean's face turned serious. "Thanks Dad," he said solemnly. "For all you've done for me. You've always had my back and ….I'll never be able to repay you for that."

John looked up in surprise. They rarely brought their feelings into the open and it seemed strange that Dean was doing so now.

"You say that as if something bad's gonna happen to us, son," John declared confused. "Is something wrong?"

"Na. Can't I just tell my old man what a great dad he's been, or is that too chick-flick for you?" Dean laughed, not really understanding himself why he had felt the urgent need to let his dad know how much he loved and appreciated him.

Maybe it was because Dean felt that he was standing on the edge of a volcano; one that was about to erupt, changing everything about the landscape that had surrounded them until now.

x

John studied his son, something was definitely bothering him. John had raised Dean almost single-handed since Mary died and he recognized the signs, but he didn't probe any further.

Dean would tell him when he was ready; he was a stubborn kid when he wanted to be, and if questioned would only clam up even more, so John delved into his breakfast and buried the pang of pain that the sweet memory of his lost wife had just dealt him.

X

Dean as promised, had pushed all thoughts of the Singers from his mind and thrown himself into his work on the car engines. He was a natural at repairing them and he really enjoyed it, but when lunch-time came round he could no longer stop his mind from going back to Sam and Mary Singer.

He usually shared a couple of sandwiches and a coffee with his dad and the other two hired hands ,but he was too worked up to sit around joking in easy camaraderie with them as he usually would, so he made his way to the diner and ordered a coffee.

He wondered where to go from here; what was the best way to confirm or negate his suspicions, (or was it just a desperate hope), that Mary and Sam might really be his own mother and brother? If his theory was correct, then the only one who would really have the answers would be Mary Singer; Sam probably being in the dark as much as he and John were.

He fingered the phone in his pocket, brought it out and pulled up the number Sam had given him yesterday. He and the kid had bonded in a subtle kind of way and maybe his best bet was to talk to him again. Try to get more info on him and his mom.

Sammy had told him to call back and let him know he'd gotten home safely. He'd sent him a message last night but he was sure that the kid would pick up if he called.

He pressed the button and Sam's phone rang.

"Dean? " the surprised voice answered, after a couple of rings.

"Yeah. Uh, you asked me to phone you when I got home, so here I am!" Dean replied, happy to hear the kid's voice yet slightly embarrassed too.

"Dean," Sam repeated, seemingly as awkward as the older boy. "I...um.."

"Listen, Sammy," Dean butted in. "I really need to talk to you...about stuff."

"Me too," Sam agreed unexpectedly.

"Okaaay, " Dean concurred. " But it's not something I wanna do over the phone. It's gotta be face to face."

x

He could almost see Sam nodding at the other end of the phone line. "Yeah," the voice came back. "Face to face. I gotta go now, Dean. It's a bad time, but I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

"Okay, squirt, fine," Dean replied. " But this is important."

"Yeah, Dean. It really is, " Sam replied, a hitch in his voice.

X

Singer Salvage.

xxxx

Sam closed the connection and looked over at the older man.

"Who was that?" Bobby asked, noting the teary expression in Sam's eyes.

"I think it was my brother," Sam answered defiantly. "My brother who's been kept from me for all these years, and I want to know why!"

Bobby had always seen Sam as a good sweet kid, even though Mary had told him all that had happened that night in Lawrence when Sam had received a visit from the demon, but in that moment despite the moist puppy-like eyes, Bobby could see the strength of character that would one day be an inalienable facet of the adult Sam.

X

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

xxxxxxxxxxx

Dean pocketed his phone and took a long gulp of the steaming coffee the waitress had just delivered. The hot liquid almost burned his tongue but if ever he needed something to ground him, it was right now.

Life had been good to him so far; he and his dad had a great relationship, he'd been blessed with intelligence, optimal health and without false modesty, a great body and a handsome face that got him nearly everything he wanted or needed, so why did all that suddenly seem so unimportant when the thought that his baby brother whom he had believed long dead, might still be alive and living in Sioux Falls?

He deliberately didn't include Mary Singer, for the few loving memories he had of his mother were hard to reconcile with what the woman he'd seen at Singer's might have done; abandon himself and his father. No, he would take this one step at a time.

He fingered the phone in his pocket. Sam had said he would call back

To Hell with this, Dean grunted. He was too fired up to sit around on his ass waiting; it was time to act.

x

He stopped off at home, flung a change of clothes and some other bits and pieces into a bag; undecided whether to leave a note for his dad or contact him later.

He compromised by scribbling a few words on the kitchen note-pad. At least dad would know he had gone off voluntarily and was all right; that would avoid Dean having to answer his father's calls for a bit, when they eventually came.

Somehow Dean felt that there was going to be a huge kick back from whatever he was about to discover.

He snatched a glance at the clock in the hall as he exited the house and threw himself and his bag into the Impala. One o'clock. It would take him over five hours to get to Sioux Falls and as he drove it seemed that the hours were excruciatingly long, so great was his desire to arrive at his destination.

x

Singer Salvage

::::::::::::::::

"Listen Sam," Bobby began, trying to reason with the kid. There was no way he was going to give Sam a straight yes or no answer. "I don't know what you think you've found out, but could be you've got your facts mixed up. I've only been away a day and in that space of time you've found yourself a long-lost brother! Don't you think you're sorta rushing into things here, boy?"

The older man saw a flicker of doubt in the teen's eyes but it was quickly replaced with a look of conviction.

"No Uncle Bobby. Maybe I have rushed through this, but that's only because all the pieces fit together like a perfect jigsaw puzzle. The guy that was here yesterday is my brother, I just...know it." Sam declared holding Bobby's gaze; waiting for the older man to confirm or negate what he had just said.

But Bobby gave him no satisfaction, simply averted his eyes. It wasn't his place to say anything, so he kept his mouth closed. This was Mary's business to deal with, and her's alone.

They stood there facing each other like some strange participants in a duel, the boy searching for answers and the man possessing them all, but not wanting to give them; until Sam backed off and ran out through the front door with Bobby's "Where are you goin' kid?" ringing in his ears.

Sam ran through the yard, down the driveway onto the main road and continued until he was well away from the house, then he pulled out his phone and called Dean Winchester's number.

X

Dean was already on the freeway, the Impala's hood pointed towards South Dakota, when the call from Sam came through.

"Uh, Dean. I uh.." Sam began, at something of a loss as to what to say. He had been certain Bobby would have been more forthcoming with his answers, but the older man had given away nothing and though Sam was ninety-nine percent sure of his facts, Bobby had managed to instil a grain of doubt in his mind.

"Sammy! I'm on my way to Sioux Falls. I.. well I started to dig around when I got back home yesterday, and, uh.. I think you and I might be brothers."

At the other end of the line, Sam was struck dumb.

He had believed his idea of him and this random stranger who had shown up in Sioux Falls being brothers was a long shot, and yet here was the other guy telling him the exact same thing; that he thought they were brothers too.

What were the probabilities that both boys had felt the same need to investigate the simple afternoon of bonding they had shared; and what were the odds that feeling had been correct!

x

"Sam? " Dean's voice pulled him from his reverie." You okay there, kid?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I was just taken aback, is all," Sam replied. "I did some digging myself and I came up with the same theory, Dean; that we might be brothers. I'm freaked out, but if it's true, then somebody has a lot of explaining to do."

"Listen kid, I'll be there in about five hours, then we can talk face to face, " Dean said, his voice calm despite his churning emotions at Sam's confirmation of his own discoveries.

"I'll meet you at the diner where you ate last time, " Sam suggested.

"Fine by me, I've a feeling I'm gonna need a lot of caffeine to get through this," Dean replied, before cutting the call and concentrating on getting the Impala to its destination as fast as possible.

X

Bobby watched from the doorway as Sam ran off down the drive, sighed and shook his head in uneasiness.

He knew why Mary had done what she had, separating herself and her youngest from the rest of her family, and he was also aware of how much pain and sorrow it had cost her, but her sacrifice now seemed to have been for nothing if Sam had discovered it all.

Maybe some things just couldn't be avoided, he mused. Some things were simply fated to be and whatever one did to try and change them, they had a way of coming back and hitting you in the face regardless.

Bobby's well-honed instincts told him that this was one of those times.

x

He picked up his phone and put a call through to Mary.

Better that she should be prepared for the storm that was about to blow all her carefully worked out plans to kingdom come.

Mary placed a shaky hand on the desk to hold herself up while she listened to Bobby. She could feel her legs giving way, as the older hunter explained how Sam was certain he and Dean were brothers.

She had stupidly convinced herself that the meeting between her sons yesterday had been just a coincidence, and that her almost perfect self-control when she had seen Dean standing in Bobby's living room had been enough to make sure that the boys' encounter would have no lasting effects, but she had been _**so**_ _**so**_ wrong, and now her carefully constructed life was about to crumble around her.

"You okay, Mary?" she heard Bobby's worried voice ask through the phone.

"No, I'm **_not_** okay, Bobby, " she answered. " I... just... I wanna come home but I can't leave the hospital right now. I'll be back as soon as my shift finishes. Is Sam there?"

"Nope, he asked me if it was true about him and Dean, but I didn't give him an answer. I figured it had better come from you. He'll have holed up in the library or someplace," he said, trying to console Mary, but truthfully he had no idea where Sam could have gone. He was a smart kid and if he didn't want to be found then he wouldn't be!

x

It took Sam a good while to get to town. Bobby's yard wasn't far out, but he had no need to hurry. Dean wouldn't be here for hours yet, so he had time to fill in.

He wasn't sure if Bobby or even his mom would come looking for him; he was certain Bobby would have informed Mary by now about what had just happened, but he had to talk to Dean first.

Despite his confusion, a smile came to his face at the knowledge he had a big brother; that he wasn't alone any more.

He didn't understand why they hadn't been allowed to grow up together; why they had been separated, but they would find out; he and Dean side by side.

x

Five hours later he approached the diner where he was to meet Dean, he glanced through the window but there was no sign of the older boy.

He went to pull out his phone when he saw a black car pull up, engine roaring, into the parking space at the side of the building. He quickly made his way towards it and stopped next to the door as Dean switched off the engine and exited the gleaming black classic.

They stood there awkwardly, studying one another.

When they had met before, they had just been two boys who had instantly bonded; now it seemed they were brothers. Strange how things go down.

"Dean."

"Sammy."

The words came out in perfect synchrony as the older brother came forward and pulled the skinny youngster into his arms, and after a brief moment of hesitation, Sam's arms mirrored his brother's and held on as tightly as they could.

X

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

xxxxxxxxxx

It was six pm.

In the parking lot of a nondescript diner in Sioux Falls, a young man was holding his beloved baby brother in his arms again for the first time in fourteen long years, a brother he had believed dead; while at the same moment in the home of Bobby Singer, a distraught woman was quietly sobbing in the arms of the gruff good-hearted hunter who had given her and her baby shelter when she had come to him for help, treating her as a true brother-in-law would, and being a devoted and caring uncle to her baby; but both comforter and comforted were well aware that this part of their lives was over.

X

Bobby held on tight as Mary wept for all she had done to try and keep her family safe, going to the extremes of faking her own and baby Sammy's death; wept for all the pain she knew she had caused her husband John and for the loss she had caused Dean, depriving him of his little brother, but she had good reason for what she had done,at least that's what she kept repeating to herself.

She sighed as she sniffed into Bobby's shirt. Now that the cat was out of the bag, there would be a hell of a lot of explaining to do. There was no way to cover things up.

It was only a question of time before John found out she and Sammy were alive.

Neither he nor Dean knew anything about the supernatural. How could she ever explain to them her reasons for doing what she did? She could already imagine the disbelief and hatred on their faces when she confronted them.

x

She drew back and wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.

"What's going to happen now, Bobby?" she asked disconsolately. "What am I going to do? How am I going to explain this whole goddamned mess?"

"Well Mary, that's a million dollar question," Bobby answered gravely. "You're just gonna have to tell them the truth and hope that your husband understands, cause there's no way he's not gonna find out. What kind of man is he? How do you think he'll react?"

"I doubt he'll take it well," she sighed. "But how can I blame him? Then if I tell him the reason why; tell him I made a deal with a demon to bring him back to life after a hell-spawn killed him the night my parents died; explain to him that Dean came back in time and warned me to stay out of Sam's nursery when a demon came to call. I don't know if he'll ever believe me. God, it sounds incredible even to me who knows it's true!" she exclaimed with a quavering voice.

"Come on, Mary. You'll manage to get through this. I know you will," Bobby said, trying to console her. "I'm not sayin it's gonna be easy but... ! Maybe it's better in a way that everything is out in the open. We still don't know what the demon's end game is, nor why he infected Sam with demon blood. I know you did all this to try and keep Dean and John safe, but I gotta feeling in my bones that there was never gonna be a way to avoid involving the rest of your family."

"What's that supposed to mean, Bobby?" Mary asked worriedly, her eyes scrutinizing the older hunter. "Do you know something I don't?"

"Nope, just a hunch. Dean's warning stopped you from going into Sam's room and confronting the demon, what we don't know is what would have happened if you _**had**_ gone in. You changed history that night, girl, and maybe Fate wants to put things back on track. I dunno; time travel and time lines are out of my league, but tampering with them is always iffy."

Mary huffed. "What you're saying is that this is all my fault, that I should have gone into Sammy's room that night."

"Now, now, I'm saying nothing of the sort, Mary. Don't twist my words. We've got no way of knowing what would have happened, we've only got the here and now and that's what we have to deal with, so get yourself ready cos Sam's gonna be the first to want some answers when he comes walking back through that door."

Mary nodded. There was no use in crying over split milk. Bobby said she'd just have to deal and that's what she'd do, though she was dreading what was to come.

X

Dean drew back from his little brother, but his eyes never left his face; floppy chestnut hair, puppy eyes, dimples that were playing around his lips as he smiled up at him. The urge to protect this newly discovered brother washed over him like a raging torrent, he had gotten Sammy back from the dead and nothing was going to separate him from his sibling ever again.

Sam for his part looked up at Dean with quasi-adoration in his eyes. He had no memories of him to fall back on, but the fact that this cool guy with an equally cool car was his big brother filled him with joy. Sam had always been the odd one out, or at least he'd felt that way, mainly because of the secret he carried about hunting. His knowledge had set him apart from the other kids causing him to have no intimate friends, though he was generally on good terms with most of his school mates.

Now he had a brother, but then he pondered unhappily, Dean probably knew nothing about hunting. Would it come between them as it had with his school-friends?

x

Dean noticed the change of expression on Sam's face.

"Something wrong, Squirt?" he asked. "Decided you'd rather not have a big brother after all?"

"NO!" Sam replied heatedly "I'm so glad you're my brother. I was thinking of something else entirely."

"Okay, then, Sammy. Why don't we go inside, huh? We got a lot of catching up to do; make up for lost time," Dean smirked, placing and arm around Sam's bony shoulders and pulling him towards the diner.

Just then his phone trilled and Dean pulled it out with his free hand. It was dad but he wasn't going to answer just yet, he had other things on his mind, like the little brother he had just discovered.

Funny how he hadn't given much thought to the fact that John was also about to find out that his youngest son was still alive, his wife too, (Dean wasn't ready to go there yet,) but he selfishly wanted some time alone with Sammy before John came running, as he surely would as soon as Dean informed him.

"Something wrong?" Sam asked echoing his brother's earlier question

"Nothing that can't wait for a bit," Dean grinned, tousling Sam's hair and watching amused as the kid shied away. Sammy was defensive about his hair then! Dean chalked it up in the part of his mind where he would conserve all his Sammy-pertinent discoveries! "Nothing's more important than finding out everything about my little bro."

Sam ducked his head, he wasn't quite ready to tell Dean _**everything**_ about himself yet.

x

"Hi Sam," the motherly waitress smiled in greeting when she came over to the table for their order. "Got yourself a new friend today," she asked, looking Dean over.

"Yeah Maisie," Sam answered. "But he's not exactly a friend. He's my big brother," Sam added proudly. He hadn't meant to say anything but he was just bursting to tell the world about Dean and Maisie just happened to be there.

"Your brother huh, how come I haven't seen him around," she asked curiously. "I'd sure have noticed a good-looking boy like him."

"Uh, he lives in another state," Sam said uncomfortably,thinking he should have kept his mouth shut!

"Yeah, this little squirt is my baby brother," Dean confirmed. "We don't get to see each other too often." He leaned forward conspiratorially."Parent problems," he added, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I get it,"Maisie nodded knowingly. "It's rotten when mom and dad don't get on. What can I bring you guys then?" she said changing the subject.

Poor kids, some parents can be real douches, she thought to herself as she went off to fill their order.

X

At around the same time, six pm, John had tiredly made his way home.

Work had been a bitch today, he mused. Some clients were the biggest douche-bags on the planet and John by nature wasn't a patient man; he'd been forced to cultivate that part of his character for his work.

"Dean, you home? " he called making his way to the kitchen. The kid hadn't come back to the garage after lunch, but that often happened, especially when he had school stuff to attend to.

He put on the water for some fresh coffee, then slumped down on one of the kitchen chairs, his hand going to the sheet of paper lying on the table.

He frowned as he read it, but he shrugged off his immediate instinct to worry. He had to remember Dean was a man now. He hadn't been all that much older when he was in the marines himself, but Hell, he sighed, it was almost impossible to turn off being a full-time dad!

x

"Dad, got some business to attend to. Don't worry. I'll get back to you soon." the note read.

x

He sat back down with the coffee in one hand, his other going to his cell phone, surrendering to his need to hear that his boy was okay. He knew he was being ridiculously over-protective but the pain of the loss he had suffered with the death of Mary and Sam had never left him, and Dean was all he had left, so he called his son's number, but Dean didn't reply.

John lifted his coffee and made his way to the couch. He'd try again later. He was being stupid.

X

TBC


End file.
